Rome: Empire of the Eagles, 753 BC - AD 476

Description

The Roman Empire is widely admired as a model of civilisation. In this compelling new study Neil Faulkner argues that in fact, it was nothing more than a ruthless system of robbery and violence. War was used to enrich the state, the imperial ruling classes and favoured client groups. In the process millions of people were killed or enslaved. Within the empire the landowning elite creamed off the wealth of the countryside to pay taxes to the state and fund the towns and villas where they lived. The masses of people � slaves, serfs and poor peasants � were victims of a grand exploitation that made the empire possible. This system, riddled with tension and latent conflict, contained the seeds of its own eventual collapse.

About Author

Archaeologist and historian Neil Faulkner works as a lecturer, writer, editor and professional broadcaster. He has worked as excavation director for Time Team and is an Honorary Lecturer at the Instituteof Archaeologyat the University College of London. His previous books include The Decline and Fall of Roman Britain(2004) and Apocalypse: the Great Jewish Revolt against Rome, AD66-73(2004) and Hidden Treasures, which accompanies the BBC series.

Contents

ChronologyIntroduction1. The Rise of a Superpower, c.650-275 BC2. The Struggle for World Supremacy, c. 275-146 BC3. The Warlords Divided, c.146-30 BC4. The Empire at Bay, c.30 BC-AD1385. The Empire Under Siege, c.AD138-2846. The Late Roman Counter-Revolution, c. AD284-3957. The Fall of the Roman Empire, c. AD395-565Conclusion